Living the Creative Life

Drumroll please.... I bought a sewing machine today!! JoAnn's had them on sale, and the one I was drooling over last week was actually $50 off. Sweet! Remember  those bags  I was telling you about? I think maybe those are too large of a project to start out with. I'm going to take those fabrics and turn them into aprons instead. I got the cutest pattern for them, which of course I rushed home to try out as soon as I bought it. Unfortunately, I didn't quite have all the supplies I needed at home for them. I'll need to buy some more supplies - rick-rack and bias tape and such. I think that'll have to be my project this weekend! I'll let you know how it turns out.

I'd like to introduce you to one of my sponsors this month! Her name is Lee Lee and she's a super sweet girl. I just love reading  her blog . It's full of cuteness and creative inspiration! But enough from me. Let's let Lee Lee introduce herself! ***** Hey! I'm Lee Lee, owner of  Just Because , a line of accessories of unique messenger bags and little cute stuff! I am a fashion designer living in Miami and working a full time marketing job. I love everything cute and crafty, I go to events around Miami to sell my accessories, and to shop handmade. I love music, I go to lots of concerts. Music and urban life inspires me. Check my blog out! It's full of tutorials, music and inspirations as well as my daily adventures!

For my part I know nothing with any certainty, but the sight of the stars makes me dream." ~Vincent van Gogh

I love sharing fun, beautiful, or inspiring blog posts via my Google Reader shared items page. I have no idea if anyone buy myself goes back and looks at those, but if you wish, here's the RSS feed . Sometimes I like looking through what I've shared and remember the moment, sort of like looking at a picture album of my most favorite browsing history. (For those of you young-uns out there, a picture album was what we used to put photographs in before there were digital cameras. We actually used to have to go down to the drug store and have them develop the film from our camera before we could see what photos we'd shot. Crazy, I know...) Here are a few lovelies from this week's viewing. Keep in mind that I'm about a month behind on my reading, so I think most, if not all, of these were written in May. My Girl Thursday: DIY: Scrap Busting Pot Holders Freckled Italian: Recipe: Tomato Basil Sandwiches A Beautiful Mess: Sister Style The Dainty Squi...

So I'm thinking about getting a sewing machine today. I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger, but I'm seriously shopping, let's put it that way. Who knew there were so many different things to consider!? Heavy-duty vs. standard. Do I want one way to make buttonholes or thirteen? How many extra feet do I want? How many positions do I want my needle to be able to go into? Am I buying a contortionist or a sewing machine? Online stores have bombarded me with entirely too TOO MUCH information. They're no help at all. Seriously, people, who needs fifty slightly different types of sewing machines to choose from? I think I may just have to go down to JoAnn's and see what's on sale. Is that a dumb way to pick one? How did you pick your sewing machine? Did you buy one yourself or was it handed down to you?

It's weeks like these, when I don't feel like doing much of anything, that I'm reminded of some great advice I heard from somewhere awhile back. The advice went a little something like this: "Every day, do a little bit of socializing." It was referring to blog marketing, as in, don't worry if you can't be a great PR person, always schmoozing, always promoting. Just get out there a little bit every day. Do what you can do to connect with your audience a little bit every single day, even if it's just for five minutes. Make it a consistent habit and you'll see results. I like that. It's great advice that can be applied in so many areas. I tend to be a little bit perfectionistic about myself (and by little... I mean a lot). I'm learning, slowly but surely, that I just need to keep taking it one step at a time. Instead of getting frustrated that I can't reach my goal TODAY, I just need to take a deep breath and do one small thing in that dir...